Letting Go
by silverwritinggoddess
Summary: My take on Bella's life after Edward's departure in New Moon. She will definitely come off as angry and, maybe, bitter. However, this situation forces her to grow up and look at things at a more realistic perspective. She had her fairy tale story but no happy ever after to follow. Time to let go. One-shot.


A/N: Bella is going to come off rather out of character and that's what I'm going for. I feel like she could use a character make-over after that one scene in New Moon. Hope you guys enjoy!

RECAP:

"I won't come back. You can go on with your life without anymore interference from me. It will be as if I'd never existed." (71, Meyer) - "The Twilight Saga: New Moon"

MY STORY:

"Good riddance." Bella said, scornfully. "You're nothing but a piece of garbage."

Bella turned around and started her trip back to the house. She didn't need him and he didn't need her. It was a two-way street. She had a good feeling that she stopped him in his tracks but she didn't care. Why hang on to someone when that someone didn't love her anymore? It was quite pointless, really, and there was no point in wasting tears and becoming emotionally drained for nothing over a creature that could never die, except by the Volturi's hands. He wasn't going to give her immortality, anyway, so it was time to move on. Life wasn't worth living if she mourned over someone that only cared for himself. The brunette was going to stand tall and find someone who truly meant what he said and was willing to stand by her side. Sure, it did hurt, but she knew that she had to keep on moving and, maybe, someday that special person would come into her life again.

Alice, her alleged best friend, didn't come to say goodbye. Bella grunted. That definitely hurt, that was true, because they had been so close...like sisters. Emmett was a fun-loving, oversized vampire, who always had a grin on his face. She couldn't find fault with him nor with Jasper. Ah, yes. Jasper. He felt that he was to blame for the incident at her birthday party, even though Bella never really blamed him and she wouldn't. She had been well-aware of his struggle and, of course, it didn't really help that Edward shoved her into some glass. Rosalie...well, there was no love lost there. She never gave Bella a reason why she didn't like her, not that she cared to hear it. Carlisle and Esme had been really good to her in spite of everything that had happened. As grateful as she was towards them, she had to let them go as well. She had to let the entire Cullen family. Bella didn't know why, but it felt right to let them go. It would do her no good to dwell over those she would never see again.

Jacob was another issue. He had been one of her closest friends, but he had made his choice, too, to ignore her and go with Sam's little cult. She didn't care, anymore. It was time to let him go as well. There was nothing in Forks, not even Charlie, that could keep her here. She could go back to Jacksonville, but Renee was married to Phil and she needed to live her own life. After all, that was why Bella came to Forks in the first place, to give her mother some space and she was happy with Phil. It wasn't her place to intrude on their lives. The brunette sighed as she realized that she had taken on a bitter attitude and made the ultimate decision to change everything around her. She needed to get away and begin her own life as an independent adult.

"It's time to get away from it all." Bella decided.

"Hey, dad." Bella greeted cheerfully.

Her father raised an eyebrow at her tone of voice. This was definitely not the Bella he had come to know, but it was refreshing.

"Hey. You're kind of overly cheerful. Why is that?"

"I broke up with Edward."

Charlie just stared. That was NOT what he had expected to hear out of his daughter's mouth. He knew that she had been extremely fond of the Cullen boy, but for her to say that and be cheerful about it was beyond him. Oh, well. He never liked the boy, despite his polite manners. There was always something about him that the police chief didn't like. He couldn't put his finger on it, but it didn't matter anymore. He just smirked at Bella before asking about dinner, which would be the fish that he had caught with Billy Black.

After Graduation...

"So Bella, where do you plan on going?" Angela asked.

After talking with Charlie, Bella had decided to go to college. It wouldn't be a school that Edward had suggested to her. Goodness, no. She wanted to be as far away from anything that was Cullen related. This was her life and she intended to follow her own path in life. No more sparkly vampires for her. She was done with that kind of crap for a lifetime.

"I'm thinking about going to school in Texas. I heard that they have some good English literature programs there." Bella replied.

"You're going all the way to Texas, Bella?" Mike Newton whined. "Why not stay in Washington with the rest of us?"

"There's nothing here to keep here."

Bella was tempted to tell Newton to shut up and keep his whining to himself. She knew that he had a crush on her, but Jessica Stanley had her eye on Mike, which gave her another reason to leave Forks. She didn't want to interfere with Jessica's desire to date Mike and, so, that was another decision she had decided to make. It would be for the best of her classmate.

"Well," Angela said. "We all wish you the best."

"Here, here."

Bella sighed contently. Letting go had never felt so nice.

JACOB'S POV

A/N: This picks up when Bella confronts Jacob about his association with Sam.

He could have kicked himself for the way he treated Bella, but it was necessary. It was to protect her. He hated himself. He probably lost a very good friend forever. Jacob slammed his fist into a nearby tree, snapping into twigs. He grimaced at the monstrous strength that he gained since he had become a werewolf or shape shifter, whatever it was that he had become. Ever since Bella had started dating that bloodsucker, Jake's anger had been simmering, slowly rising to the surface. Then everything just snapped and, all of the sudden, he was a werewolf. He had no idea what had happened to him. He had been confused and scared about his new form. Others from the pack gained access to his mind and communicated with him about what had happened. After that, Sam started to work with him.

Sam wasn't a bad guy, though. He knew what he was doing when he approached the newest member of the pack and when he convinced Jake to give up his friendship with Bella, he was reluctant. She was his best friend. How could he give up such a wonderful friend-if he could even call her that, now? Sam managed to convince him that it was for the best and for her protection. If it meant separating himself from her and everyone else in order to protect them, then he would do so and he had. Unfortunately, it cost him Quil and Bella, although it would seem that Quil would soon join the pack. Sam was keeping an eye on him as well just in case he transformed.

Jacob wished that Bella had understood that Sam was not as bad as he was made out to be, but she was still under the assumption that he ran a cult. It was his fault. He had been the one to give her that impression and, since she was so stubborn, she would always see Sam as a bad guy who took away all of her friends and family. He sighed. Now that Jacob had a good handle on himself, he decided that he would pay Bella a visit. He owed her a lot and he would give her the explanation that she deserved.

"Hey, Charlie." Jacob greeted.

"Jacob!" Charlie greeted back. "Haven't seen you much lately. How have you been?"

"Really busy and really sick."

Jacob remembered that his father told Bella, who told the chief, that he had been sick. He had to continue with that lie for quite sometime, which made him feel really guilty. He then asked for Bella. Charlie said that she was already in bed, exhausted. She would just have to wait until tomorrow to talk to him. Jacob thanked the chief and left the premises. When he was sure that Charlie wasn't looking, he stole away to Bella's bedroom. He climbed up the tree but the window was locked and the curtains blocked his view of her. He sighed again as he knocked on the window. She refused to respond. The guilt that he felt earlier hit him hard again. He would have to try again tomorrow.

"I'm sorry, Jake." Charlie said the next day. "She moved out of state early this morning. I thought she told you."

"No." Jacob said sadly. "She didn't. I guess she forgot."

"Probably."

"I'll see you around, then."

Charlie nodded. He was aware of the fact that Jacob and his daughter had gotten into a fight. Billy had called yesterday about it and the police chief greeted his daughter, who had a cold and distant look on her face. He had never seen Bella behave that way before and it had frightened him. He was thankful that she didn't do anything drastic. The fight was probably why she had decided to leave early. The chief sighed as he watched Jake walk away sadly.

 _Too late._ Jacob thought sadly. _She's gone and I didn't get to say 'I'm sorry.'_

He truly did lose a friend that day. However, denial began to overtake him. It was the Cullen's fault that she was gone. He had heard of her break-up with the leech and he figured that she had been broken up inside because of it-which was, unknown to him, not the case. Then, of course, he had to add on to her depressed state by essentially telling her that he couldn't be friends with her anymore and that Sam was showing him things that no ordinary person would dream of. Jacob was then alerted that a horde of vampires were on their way to Forks. He transformed into a Russet-colored wolf and dashed away, with his last thoughts about his former friend.

 _I hope she forgives me someday._

Bella sighed. It was like a burden had lifted from her shoulders. She left the past in the past and that included her old Chevy. She traded that old thing in for a Dodge truck. She got rid of anything that really reminded her of Edward. Thinking of him still hurt, but the pain was slowly dulling. After much thinking and evaluating, she hoped that he would find someone more suitable for him. She hoped that his future mate would be more graceful and elegant. Of course that they would be that, she thought, because they would be a powerful and beautiful vampire. Why would he want someone like Bella? A stupid and clumsy Bella that would seemingly always put herself in danger?

"Stop it, Bella. You'll drive yourself crazy." She scolded herself.

That was why she left Forks in the first place. She didn't want to drive herself to madness with all of the memories of a supernatural love that she had shared with a member of the supernatural world. It had been wonderful while it had lasted, but as the saying went, all good things must come to an end. That included seemingly perfect romances with someone that was just as perfect as Edward. Bella, exasperated, decided to stop in Fayetteville, Arkansas for the evening. She needed to get some sleep and be refreshed so she could continue her journey into Texas. She was two states away from her new life. She had already secured a private dorm at Texas A&M (College Station), which was perfect for her. She loved having solitude.

Alice sighed. She couldn't find her friend and sister anywhere in any of her visions and it wasn't because of the damned dog that had often visited Bella. It was like she had dropped off from the face of the planet and didn't want to be found. She was still so angry at her brother for not letting her say goodbye to the precious brunette. The vision seer felt that this was her brother's fault, but she didn't dare say it to his face, even though he knew what she was thinking. He was suffering from the decision that he had made and suffering that he had to go without Bella. She wished that she knew where to find Bella. Even though her brother said not to look for her, she decided to peek anyway (Edward be damned-figuratively speaking) and that had been the first time that she had lost track of Bella. She knew that she was still alive but she was nowhere to be seen.

"What's wrong, Alice?"

Jasper sensed his mate's despair and desperation from his new bedroom and decided to check up on her. The Cullens had relocated to a wooded area of Montana. Alice began to sob, albeit dry sobs, and released her frustration and sadness about the loss of her friend and sister to her husband. He tried to soothe her as much as he could, but he, too, felt a sense of guilt and shame. It was because of him that they had to leave Forks. He couldn't keep his blood lust in check, which led him to nearly attack Bella, which ultimately led to their departure. Edward said that he didn't blame him for what had happened and said that he blamed himself for getting her involved in their world and that leaving was for the best for all of them.

"She's gone, Jasper." Alice whispered tearfully. "I don't know where she is. She's no longer part of our future."

The future had changed dramatically. Without their Bella, the Cullens would not be whole. Rosalie could care less (Alice's assumption about her beautiful sister would prove to be incorrect) about the brunette. She never did care for her so it went without saying that she was pleased that there wasn't a human to interfere with them, even though she still withheld information about their existence as vampires. Alice supposed, though, that Bella would be safe from the Volturi. It just wasn't fair, though, to have to push her away and make her suffer the pain of rejection from the entire family. They shouldn't have to suffer because of Edward's life-altering decision. He practically destroyed the happy future that he would have had and he knew it. Even now, Edward was checking in on Bella and hurting that he couldn't be with her.

 _That masochist._ She thought.

Bella woke up early the next morning. She grabbed some coffee and a muffin before checking out and hitting the road again. She still had a good ten hours or so to travel so it was best that she wake up at an early hour and get going. She filled up her Dodge truck, which cost a pretty penny, and got back onto the highway and headed south. On the way, she remembered that she had neglected to tell Jacob of her plans, in spite of his anger towards her. She still considered him her friend, against her better judgement, but she figured that he wouldn't talk to her so she scrapped the idea of even calling him. She would miss him and the happy kid that he had once been before Sam got to him and got him into his cult. She sighed. She was tempted to cut all ties but something held her back. She didn't know why, but she was glad that she didn't...at least, for now. She didn't know what the future would hold, but she knew that it would hold something much better than a supernatural life.

A/N: I have a sequel called "Shape Up or Ship Out" which focuses on Edward. Hope you guys enjoyed this and constructive feedback is welcomed! Later, folks.


End file.
